My Chihuahua doesnt want to wear a harness

Question
My Chi is a 7 month old male and he hates to have a harness put on him he will eat you up when you try to put one on him, do you have any ideas that can make this easier? Also once i do get it on him he is so upset he wont walk or move. Please help!

Answer
Hi Nancy!

This sounds so typical of a lot of Chihuahuas.  The way you describe him as being so upset that he won't walk or move sounds EXACTLY like what most Chihuahuas do when you first put a little sweater or coat on them.  They do this because it feels foreign and they're not use to it.  The key is to get them use to it in a positive way so that it becomes no big deal.  But, first, I want to applaud you on your choice to use a harness with your little Chihuahua as you're avoiding the potential for a collapsed trachea AND you have more control when using a harness - meaning you have the ability to pull your dog out of harm's way quickly and without hurting him if there's a need.

Okay, to get him use to the harness, just start out very slowly.  First get the harness out and show it to him and tell him what a good boy he is when he sniffs it and then give him a treat.  You might want to do that for a couple days.  Then, work up to slipping the harness over his head without buckling it around the belly.  Tell him what a good boy he is, but if he starts biting or anything, tell him "NO" very firmly.  When he goes back to just standing there and not trying to bite, offer him his favorite treat.  Work gradually with him like this.  Does he like to go bye-bye in the car or go for walks?  That's what your goal is....to get him to realize that if he has the harness on he gets to do those things.  Gradually, you'll replace treats with his favorite activity (as described above) and he'll ONLY get to do those things IF he has the harness on and he'll see the harness as a sign that he gets to go bye-bye or go for a walk.  Time and patience are the key things here.

Haven't you seen dogs where the owner gets a leash out and the dog goes just crazy?  That's because the dog associates the leash with his/her favorite activity.  I have a very small Chihuahua that I take places in a really nice crate that almost looks like a purse (but isn't).  I thought she would never get use to it, but I can tell you that once she associated getting to go in the car with that crate, she became a big fan of that thing.  In fact, we can't bring it out unless we intend to take her somewhere in it due to how VERY excited she gets.

I wanted to mention that harness vests are also available at many boutiques and most dogs take to them very readily as they just velcro closed very simply and don't seem to make the dog feel as "confined" as a regular harness. I use these most of the time for all three of my Chihuahuas

I hope this helps.  Write again and let me know how it's going!

Jo Ann